'SHROOMS!

Game night last Friday.

I was really excited about it; new DM sitting behind the screen, new campaign. Well, technically an old campaign...call it a new old campaign. And I was juiced.

I started playing in '81. But would you believe I've never played through—or DM'd —The Tomb of Horrors?

That was the DM's choice for the new campaign, and I was really excited. Did I say I was excited?

And then, 2 hours before our only chance at a game this month...one of the guys got sick. Really sick.  We were at risk of having to wait yet another month to march to our doom. I—as propmaster—and the DM put our heads together...and he said he had something. A little side quest to get us all to know each other, or at least 3 of us. And then came the request: instead of the previous list of miniatures, he needed a druid, some piercers, and some Myconids.

Myconids? Where the Hell was I going to get Myconids? And on short notice, too....

So I loaded the car with all my other gear and headed out with a little bit of inspiration. A quick stop at Hobby Lobby...and I had my myconids.
As you can see, they look pretty good. They're cast of a heavy resin, fair amount of detail with the stems (at least they're not smooth), and the bottoms are flat and stable enough that they don't really need basing...unless I want to go through the effort.

Even the scale is about correct, at least in our campaign.The small ones are just barely above the top of the human miniature's head, so they're about 6'–6.5' tall. The big ones are about twice that. Both sizes have bases that fit in the 1" squares.


Each package held four small ones and one big one; with a coupon, it was actually quite economical.  It was certainly cheaper than doing it myself.

Hobby Lobby was actually my second stop because the local Michael's was closer. All they had was some tiny ones (scaled at about 2'-3') with floral wire coming from the bottom that were more for wreaths or "fairy garden" use. I actually stopped at Hobby Lobby to grab a pin vise because Michael's didn't have one. I only asked about the mushrooms at Hobby Lobby on a whim. After a pack of those tiny mushrooms, several packages of 1" discs, and some quick-drying epoxy...well, I would have spent more—especially with conversion/prep time—than I did on the packs of the big ones.

Come to think of it, I could base the bigger ones, and use these tiny ones to add detail to the bases. I was going to return them...but.... Hmm.... I'd need some bases bigger than 1". Dang it. I should have stopped thinking while I was ahead.

The big ones represented a series of shrieker guardians in the lair of an anti-druid. The small ones saw double-use as some smaller guardian 'shrooms as well as a group of Myconid warriors captured, caged, and used as a food source for the anti-druid's Beholder companion. None of the characters had any idea what these things were; I was actually the only player at the table that, in meta-game, knew what Myconids were. They didn't register as "evil" to my character, so he risked life and limb to release these things that were speaking to him telepathically. As a result, the three PCs were named "clan brothers" to this group of Myconids. The photos were taken as we returned to the cave from a quick jaunt back to town, post-Myconid rescue but pre-anti-druid confrontation. (A dozen of them returned from their cave to aid us in our quest to destroy the anti-druid.)

The DM actually ran several test-runs of this scenario—both the beholder fight and the anti-druid fight—and it ended in TPK Every. Single. Time. Somehow we pulled both off; the only casualty was, of course, our elf, who was turned to stone. [Aside: I say "of course" because in our group, somehow, the elf is always the first to die. It has been that way for 16 years. The player who routinely plays our elf has had at least as many characters over this time as the rest of us have had...put together. No joke. We go through elves like they're made of Mountain Dew and Doritos. End aside.] My trap-finding and lock-picking skills and rolls were STELLAR and the DM kept rolling Critical 1s...so the dice were falling in our favor on every side. All in all it was a good night.We found the Crown of the Gods where the anti-druid had hidden it and returned it to the local temple, only to be offered the chance to go on several more quests to find teh powerful gemstones that accompany the crown.

So now we're left with the choice: go after the gems? or head to the Tomb of Horrors?

Choices...choices...choices.... Either way, the next month won't go fast enough!

[Random Booster Encounters] Roadside Ambush (#01)

This series is something experimental, at least for me. The concept: create an encounter based solely on the four miniatures found in any one single random booster. I had originally thought about calling this a Pathfinder project, but then I remembered that Wizards had re-started their random miniature production. They're not the greatest paint jobs in the world, but then...some of the early Pathfinder paint jobs weren't terrific either.

The attached character sheet was also something of an experiment, as it has been somewhere over 35 years since I truly worked with the AD&D First Edition ruleset. Please forgive any errors, and accept them as what they are: an effort to pay tribute to that set of rules. It's also a nod to my OSR friends and readers. [But if you have suggestions regarding the character stats or character sheet—also of my design—please feel free to let me know. I welcome correction; I want to learn.] It was intended to be used on a 4" x 6" card.

The 3.x statblock follows the AD&D character sheet.

So, the project begins... after the break

[From the Mailbag] Post-Vacation Embarassment of Riches

Well, I went away for a week--far away from cell service, land line service, internet service. It was restful. Utterly restful. Gamed a bit with my family (game report in process). Read a bit. Slept a bit. All in all a very, very restful week.

It made coming back to the office dreadfully miserable.

But, oh! What was waiting for me when I got home. The neighbor collecting our mail commented on the number of packages and hand-addressed envelopes I received. I guess all they ever get is bills and shopping mailers.

Here's what made last weekend terrific. Sorry for the bad photo, but I wanted to get everything in one shot.

Going from left to right:

• A buddy of mine came across some duplicate 3.x titles from "his source" and passed along his extras to me: A Pathfinder module named Guardians of Dragonfall. Also a Pathfinder sourcebook entitled Tombs of Golarion--because one can never have too many tombs or ill-meaning NPCs. A CD, released with Dungeon #87 that includes the first issue of Dungeon as well as some bonus adventures and other stuff. Then there's a Paizo-produced map of the Sleeping Dragon Inn. You may recall I already have a copy of this, but it's gone missing, so I welcomed the new copy.
• Then there's the latest two creature postcards from +Jim Magnusson. As usual, these are gorgeous and creepy. If you aren't already a patron of his, you should be. Rectify that. Soon.
• Up top were some duplicate WotC miniatures, also from that great friend of mine. These are the Blackroot Treant from the Against the Giants set (my collection's first treant) and the Flesh Golem from the Night Below set.
• The July Mythoard arrived as well: no dice or miniature this time, but almost as good--some fire counters from Advanced Deployment and a stack of coaster-dungeonmorphs, and a d12 table of NPC names on a business card (thanks, +Jarrod Shaw, et al.). Also included is a copy of Ancient Odysseys: Treasure Awaits! (an introductory RPG), a copy of Issue #5 of the Undercroft 'zine (thanks +Daniel Sell), another binder-ready locale/NPC, a copy of The Red Mausoleum module from Expeditious Press, and a copy of a Judges Guild adventure, Rat on a Stick. 
• Next to the miniatures are the latest Patreon rewards from the great and incomparable +Tim Shorts. Again, he fails to disappoint. A medieval crypt and a futuristic sci-fi patrol scenario. Great maps, great substance, and laminated for dry-erase or Mountain Dew repellant qualities. If you have ever enjoyed an issue of The Manor 'zine and haven't yet signed up for his Patreon account, get over there and do it now.
• 
  And the gifts continued after the weekend. When Monday's mail arrived, I found another great postcard map from +Simon Forster. This time a two-room main floor building surrounded by idyllic trees. The basement of the building is filed with surprises, including an attached cavern room. I always love getting these postcards; they are, to be honest, the main inspiration behind my own mail-maps that I've been sending out to Stronghold 'zine customers. These are great little locales just crying out for some dungeon-stocking, awaiting a drop-in into your campaign as a side-quest or random encounter. If you haven't signed up on Patreon to support Simon, well...see the above-pro-Patreon-support exhortations and feel a bit guilty, OK? Then go to Patreon and start clicking to support these fine gentleman artists!

Speaking of mail-maps, I suppose I'm well overdue to pay a Joesky tax. So, I present to you the following mail-map that went out to +Jason Zavoda. As I imagined it, it's a shrine built into the side of a cliff. The shrine has an attached chapel area, with a passageway down to an altar/contemplation pool. Then a little trapped hallway (see the inset for the pit trap side-view) leading into the cult's treasure room. But use it how you will; it's free for your use. As always, if you use it, drop me a line to tell me where and how it went.

The Shrine of Adovaz!

Fuzzy Tentacle Monster Action!

That title sounded a LOT better in my head.

I consider myself the prop-master of our group. I provide most of the minis for the various DMs; sometimes maps and other materials.

Our new DM, starting a new campaign, enlisted me on Wednesday to provide "some kind of sea monster." Well, of course, that's the ONE type of critter I don't have, mostly because we've never been on the water before. He was getting a little desperate, mostly because he hasn't DM'd in years, but also because he hadn't had much time to prep. He had some general ideas for the campaign, and then decided yesterday that we needed to board an ocean-going ship to get to the starting point.

[Aside: This is where I should point out that I'm playing a 3d-level Dwarven Barbarian. Based on recommendations from the DM, I made him a desert/wasteland barbarian. Completely desert-centric. Our first major encounter? Loading our butts onto a ship for a weeks-long trek across the freakin' ocean. End aside.]

Then I had an epiphany. I told him that I'd put together some tentacles. That way, he'd just need to stat the individual tentacles and could leave the real big baddie (or baddies) completely anonymous. He could even just use a stat block for a giant constrictor. He liked that, so my little grey cells started churning. I've scratch-built a bunch of place-holders and minis in the past, including a ping-pong ball beholder eye-beast.

Here's what I came up with after a trip to the craft store and the hardware store:

• Loctite GO2 Glue
• Gorilla Brand Super Glue
• Fender washers, 1/8" x 3/4", 10 each
• Fender washers, 1/4" x 1-1/4", 10 each
• Zinc nuts, 3/4", 10 each
• 3 Packs of 25 each pipe cleaners: black, green, pink 

[Aside ²: Actually, the pipe cleaners were called, per the packaging, "Fuzzy Sticks." No mention of "pipes" or the cleaning thereof to be found anywhere. End aside ².]

Step One: 
Assemble the ring base using the two sizes of fender washers, a couple dabs of GO2 glue, then clamp for 30 minutes to set. Repeat 10 times.

Step Two:
Take one black and one green "fuzzy stick," insert them into the end of my power drill, hold the free end tightly, and start the drill spinning. (One interesting note: The drill, when drilling in reverse (counter-clockwise) gear actually made a shorter resulting spun combo fuzzy stick than when moving in forward (clockwise) gear.)

 You can see in the background there a stack of already-spun combo fuzzy sticks, the drying ring bases, and my GO2 glue (not to mention my disgustingly stained painting tray of 15 years). Also in the background is my first attempt, gluing a green, black, and pink fuzzy stick together, straight. This turned out to be messy and incredibly awkward. Hence the power drill and spun combo fuzzy stick idea. Now to attach the pink fuzzy stick as the suckered underside of the tentacle.

Step Three:
So here's where I had to start experimenting. Seeing how awkward and messy it was to try and glue the entire length, I tried to spot-glue and then tie (or wrap) the points together with black embroidery thread. After doing several this way, I resorted to wrapping the pink ends tightly to each end of the spun black/green tentacle, then simply tying together the longer tentacles with thread at different points, and relying on the wrap, pressure, and tension to hold the pink to the spun tentacle.

Step Four: 
The now-three strand tentacles were bent at different points to form a misshaped "U", with the point threaded through the hole in a ring base. Then I'd snip another length of tentacle and worked it down in through the hole and the "U" tentacle. This was the hardest part: you're essentially cramming six layers of "fuzzy stick" through a hole barely big enough for three or four. Then spread the ends out on the underside to keep the tentacles attached to the base.

Step Five:
After realizing how messy, awkward, and time-consuming the GO2 glue was to work with, I switched to good ol' Gorilla brand super glue. Four dots on the cardinal points of each nut, working the bent underside ends into the center of the nut, and holding the ring base against the nut until the glue set. (This was a much faster process than the GO2 glue, further "cementing" my love of Gorilla glue--and super glue as a whole.)

Step Six: 
Pose each tentacle into a sufficiently threatening pose.

Here's what the final product looked like: 

And here are some in-game glamour shots. My dwarf is the little tyke down here on the right hand side, right at the bow of the ship. Somewhere between these two pictures my dwarf was grappled, lifted to the sky, and then sliced himself free, dropping dramatically to the deck, rolling as he landed to minimize any falling damage.

All in all, the guys were impressed with the tentacles. I am too, speaking from the utmost of humility. 

They worked pretty well and looked good at this level, allowing (as you can see) for grappling and positioning of victims. We only lost one crewman from this attack. Fortunately, the DM didn't use the full box of 10 bases (2 or 3 tentacles each) that I'd prepared.

Reorganization and Reassembly

Just a quick thought for this morning. I know last night I said I was all keyed up and couldn't sleep. Then I promptly found something that helped relax me.

Something semi-mindless, routine, and mechanical. Something time-consuming.

After all, re-sorting a horde of used minis back into their appropriate (and cataloged) places after a multi-month gaming campaign takes a while.

This was about 1/4 of the complete ... MASS ... that we used at one time or another, and that I couldn't re-sort as we went along because, well, we might need them next session too. So, truly, the picture doesn't do the full pile full justice.

The best part was seeing my kids as they walked by the open door to my study (from the POV of the camera). Each one of them gasped, groaned, and said, "That's not for our game, is it?!?"

And that wasn't even when I had the GIANTS out either.

[cue evil laugh]

Or the dragons.

Once I was done, I was well and truly relaxed. Dropped right off. I think it was even better than my tranquilizers.

[From the Mailbag] Mythoard January 2015

So.... Bad day yesterday, all day. As you may know if you read yesterday's post, it was a bad day made much better by the arrival of the Storyteller's Thesaurus.

Then I get home, and by 11 p.m. Google+ feed has blown up with people raving about the receipt of their January Mythoard package.

Wait a second, I think. I'm a subscriber...where's MY package?!? So I turn to my son (who was the first one home yesterday) and I ask, calmly: "BOY!" (for often I call him "Boy") "Boy!" I say, "Was there any kind of a package in today's mail for me?"

"Oh, yeah. There was one."

(silence for a moment or two)

"Um...son.... Where is it?"

"Oh, I left it on the table by the front door."

(facepalm)

(second facepalm as my boy has not yet moved to retrieve said package)

"Um.... Could I have it please?!?"

For those of you who may still not know about Mythoard, Mythoard is the first Tabletop RPG Subscription box! From the website: "From modules, minis and maps to rules supplements, accessories and dice, you'll be sure to find some great RPG treasure in every single box! Sign up today for your own hoard!"

Quest for the Mythoard, No.1  Randy Musseau 2015

And oh, baby...did it make my day even brighter. I didn't have my camera with me, so I don't have pics, but let's look at a quick roster of what was inside:

• First was a pair of polyhedral dice in orange and black vortex: a d4 and a d8--these match the orange and black d6 from last month's Mythoard offering. Sweet, especially considering my motto. [Aside: for any new readers, I am firmly convinced that there is no such thing as "too many dice" because, well.... Hey! Dice! Ahem. Period. Your argument is invalid. End aside.] . Courtesy of Chessex Games.
  
• A button featuring Thopas, the gnome. Courtesy of Lesser Gnome.
  
• An unpainted metal miniature version of Thopas. Also courtesy of Lesser Gnome.
  
• Two Mythoard two-pocket folders with front cover art by Randy Musseau (see above), back cover art/maps/text by Monkeyblood Design and Chubby Monster Games. I found it kind of humorous that the map was for "Tenkar's Tomb." I can only imagine this refers to the infamous Tenkar, and that he went out in a spectacular fashion.
  
• Inside one of the folders were two cardstock sheets: one a preview of Old West firearm rules for the DCC game: Black Powder, Black Magic and the other a copy of "The Brimstone Epitaph," an Old West newspaper. Both courtesy of Stormlord Publishing.
  
• Next out was an encounter card deck of 54 system-neutral "monster inspiration" cards rather than stat cards. Clever idea; they'll be useful for at-table random encounter generation. My deck was the Fey, Constructs, and Wildlife deck. I understand that there were two other decks and inclusion in each package was random. The artwork is fantastic; I'm definitely going to try and pick up more of these. Courtesy of Inkwell Ideas. A pair of solid-cover card sleeves were included as well, for use with these encounter cards.
  
• Last out was a Pits & Peril supplement, "The Powers That Be." There's always room for another couple deities in a pantheon. I need to devote a bit more time to this one, but there's likely something good there for mining, at the least.
  

So. All in all, Groundhog Day came up good for me. I feel content today, and can't wait until the next Mythoard. The first two have been really great, full of good stuff. Well worth the price, in my opinion. As of this writing, there's 180 spots left of 250 for the February package...swing over and sign yourself up!

New Minis: Praise and Complaints

So, a couple months ago, the Magic-users on the Beach jumped back into the miniature business. I knew that they were releasing a new miniature aerial combat game, but hadn't heard about the new randomized pre-painted plastics line. So imagine my surprise when I walked in to my FLGS back then and found them. Tyranny of Dragons no less. I bought a couple boxes, of course. I mean, scientific research purposes and all that.

Hey, don't look at me like that...I can stop buying minis whenever I want. I'm not addicted.

Really.

So, upon opening the two boxes I learned a couple of things that I want to share with you, just in case there's any of my readers who have NOT yet picked up a box of these for themselves.

First, I was shocked to realize that they are produced by WizKids/NECA, just like the Pathfinder pre-painted plastics are. I say shocked because (a) they're rival companies and it just seemed a little odd and (b) the quality is significantly lower than on the Paizo Pathfinder miniatures. No, I'm serious, the paint jobs are, for the most part, simply terrible. Let me give an example (although my camera with the macro function isn't working, and my cell phone isn't so hot at small close-ups).

This little beastie is a new sculpt of a wraith. They've prepped him up with the nice see-through plastic, tinted grey of course. Mantle streaming out behind it, nice pose, full of motion. They even put him on a post so that he appears to be hovering or flying along. Nearly everything would be perfect with this sculpt and make it a great addition to my collection.

Nearly everything...except for one thing: THE FACE.

Look at that face. THIS is the face they choose to strike terror into the hearts of the adventurers. Really?

And I know that it's not just WizKids' production issues, because dang...their Pathfinder minis have come a LONG way and they've refined the process. In fact, just this morning I deleted a draft post from a couple years ago complaining about the paint jobs in the first Pathfinder minis release.

This wraith looks like it came from the PRE-PRODUCTION runs of that first release.

And the guy who said, "Y'know, I think it looks GOOD with the 'faux-glowing-eyes-and-mouth' effect. Let's run with that paint scheme"? I have to wonder if he still has his job.

In fact, this wraith looks like something off of which the Scooby Gang is about to rip the mask.

And do I even need to go into the paint scheme on this Hobgoblin Fighter? There's four colors. Green on his chest plate. Red for his armor. Black for his hair and facial features. Black with a little metallic added for his underarmor and sword. So, really, he has three colors. There's no distinguishing features, really. Oh, y'know what? On closer inspection his right eye has a yellowish-greenish pupil while his left eye has the same color serving as eye-shadow. Nice job, Mages of the Beach. Yeah, it's a little thing, and I'm sure I'll get someone telling me that limiting it to four colors reduces costs, etc. These were just the first two minis I pulled out of my backpack.

Second beef.

Take a look at this picture. These are representative bases of the miniatures. Pathfinder (on the left) and the new Mages of the Beach (center), with an older Mages of the Beach (on the right). You see anything? First gut reaction?

Well, it may be tough, because the camera is picking it up better than the naked eye. The names on the new Mages of the Beach minis are next to impossible to read? Now, you may tell me that's another cost-cutting measure, saving on white paint, or you can tell me that the old ones didn't need white paint. Well, it may just be my aging eyes, but I still say that the new names are really tough to read: smaller fonts, not as raised, not as much contrast. And then there's this: The BIG minis have the names painted in white.

It's a minor thing, and easily rectified. You can also consider it your Free Tip of the Day: I grabbed a white paint Sharpie and scribbled a bit. It's not perfect, but it works. It adds just enough contrast for my old eyes. Here's a look at the result. I just realized that I probably killed resale value, but I don't plan on getting rid of these any time soon. And who knows, someone may actually pay more to be able to read the names. (Yeah, wishful thinking, but it's all I have.)

My final beef (for now) is kind of a mixed bag. There are dragons. New dragons. I love dragons. One thing that I can't get enough of is dragons. For example: I'm pretty sure I have most if not all of the dracolich pre-painted minis, and a good number of metal ones of all sizes. One thing I DON'T have is any red dragons. Mostly because they're so sought after and therefore expensive.

Well, in these two boxes, I pulled--would you believe it--a red dragon. (Oh, wait. You CAN believe it; a picture of its base is right up there.) This new mini is a red dragon in flight. It's executed quite well, to be honest. I'm glad to have it and I was excited when I saw it in the box. However, I have a complaint about size. In this picture I've included an elf and a halfling for scale. As you can see, it doesn't seem as daunting as the old Mages of the Beach dragons used to be. Now, I'm not expecting a colossal red dragon, but this is on--what used to be considered, anyway--a large base. Now that I mention it, maybe it is to scale. I haven't measured it against any of my others. It just seems small.

Whew. That's enough beefing for a while, I suppose. Gotta go work some more on Issue #1 of the Stronghold. More soon.

A Long Time Ago...

Aw, heck. I just realized how long it's been since I actually dropped by the Stronghold. Unfortunately, things like A to Z April tend to have a stifling effect once the "pressure" is over. That's why I've given up on NaNoWriMo the past few years...it just takes too long to get the machine back working again.

http://justtoomuchfreetime.blogspot.com

But today I noticed something across the gaming blogosphere: people are starting to receive their boxed Tantive IV Star Wars Miniatures in the mail. I won't argue; it's a nice looking pre-paint. It looks hefty, too. Fantasy Flight worked out a "proportionate" scale, for lack of a better term. At first blush, it SEEMS to be about the same size as my initial Tantive IV purchase, although it's tough to tell; all the comparison pictures I could find today were of odd sizes, and the "product dimensions" tell me the size of the box. Plus, well, my real life is a bit hectic and I'm not that interested in doing a lot of footwork/research into this. I hope you all will forgive me for this oversight and laziness.

You see, this release? It's retailing at $89. It's even $64.59 at Amazon. Just way too much for my wallet right now.

Besides...I have an alternate. No, not just the "initial purchase"--the Action Fleet model referenced above.

I now have... THIS:












Yep. It's a vintage Kenner Star Wars Collector Fleet Electronic "Rebel Blockade Runner" from 1996. It was a STEAL, including shipping. It was used, opened, etc., but I didn't buy it for resale value. I built it to use on the gaming table. All the electronic functions still work, including the light-up engines:




And as far as scale goes, well, it's close to accurate. As I estimated in my previous post, the Kenner model is about 5" short of being true 1/270 scale. But, what's 5" here and there, eh?

Bwahahahahahaaaaaa....

Ahem. It looks terrific when put up next to the FFG models. I'll admit, it's not as detailed, or as pretty, out of the box as the FFG Tantive IV. If I want to, I can always touch it up, though. It'll double nicely as a display model in my home office. Y'know, establish some Geek cred. Seriously, though, I think it looks great up against the other models, even if I only use it as a centerpiece--or an obstacle--in an actual game. Now I just have to see if someone out there has prepped templates, rules, or other tidbits for using the actual huge model...or if I'm going to have to jury-rig rules from the FFG release.

[A to Z April] X is for XOXO

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is widely considered to be the best movie of the Trilogy. I don't happen to agree with that; it's my second favorite after the original. We won't discuss Return of the Jedi, because dang it...choosing Ewoks over Wookiees? Really? The only real high point of Jedi is that Wedge finally got the credit he deserved as an Ace pilot; it's obvious why they couldn't do it earlier--Luke Skywalker was the hero and so had to be the only real Ace.

I enjoy me some ESB, though. I still remember the thrill of a 10-year-old boy hearing the words "The first transport is away. The first transport is away" and wanting to cheer with the rest of Echo Base. Not to mention the dread of the inexorable approach of the AT-ATs. And it's a joke between my wife and myself...when she says, "I love you," I invariably respond, "I know." That line has always irritated her. By the way, my six-year-old daughter saw a Wampa backpack in the FLGS this weekend, squeeed, and then asked if she could have one. Parenthood success!

But there is one thing about ESB that I would change in a heartbeat, if I could. It doesn't matter how old I get, or how many times I see the movie...this moment's "ICK" factor is just too high.

Hugs and kisses. Hugs and kisses. [shudder] I'm in the camp with those that believe this is proof that Lucas pretty much made it up as he went along.

In related news, look what I got in the mail today!

Called the "Republic Cruiser" by Hasbro/Galoob, the ship is actually the Consular-class cruiser, typically used "to transport Jedi and diplomats to troubled spots across the galaxy." This ship is what I was originally looking for at Comic Con, when I discovered the Tantive IV. The first mission in the boxed set of X-Wing Miniatures Game involves a "Senator's Shuttle." A little bit of research reveals that this is actually the CSS-1 Corellian Star Shuttle. What was the purpose of the shuttle? "To carry a large number of ambassadors on missions throughout the galaxy." Remarkably similar purposes, no?

The game comes with a cardboard punch-out token with the image of a CSS on it. However, while I was looking on-line at others' game reports, I noticed a couple players had the same thought: it would be so great to have a three-dimensional stand-in for the CSS. So I started shopping.

The scale is a bit off, of course, just as it was with the Tantive, although not quite as drastic. The Consular-class Republic Cruiser comes in at 115m in length while the Corellian Star Shuttle measures only 80m long. (The Tantive IV is 150m long.) It's still a bit large for the shuttle, especially when it's compared to the punch-out cardboard token representation of the shuttle. I like it more for the CSS than I do the Tantive IV. Even better was that I found a steal on two: $14 for the pair and free shipping. This way I can craft a mission with dual shuttles, if I need to.

And even better, look what I found when I opened the cockpit: Qui Gon Twins! This despite the listing details that said teh miniatures were NOT included. To make things even better, the seller threw in some other Micro Machines he had "laying around." Specifically, there was a small zipper bag containing a Gungan Sub, a Trade Federation Tank, and miniatures of Boss Nass and Nute Gunray. While these likely won't see any action on the X-Wing table, they make a nice addition to my overall toy collection. Come to think of it, the Tank is about the right size to stand in for a Delta-class DX-9 stormtrooper transport. Hmmm....


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Previous "X"-es:
2013: X is for Xal's Dire Brown (beverage)
2012: X is for Xouvyus (New NPC)
2011: X is for X'rr

[A to Z April] T is for Tantive IV

I've already talked about the Tantive IV that I picked up at Comic Con. Well, I just won her elder sister on e-Bay. I'll post pictures when it arrives, but if you want to use your search engine of choice, look up the Kenner Collector's Fleet Rebel Blockade Runner. It's a lot closer scale-wise to the other miniatures in the FFG X-Wing Miniatures game, and several enterprising individuals already have rules, missions, and even playing bases/stands for the beast.

But one of my readers, the Happy Whisk, commented that I hadn't bothered to show the mini-figs that came with my Micromachine Action Fleet version of the Tantive IV. I did not want to risk alienating her and becoming persona non grata around The Manor. (Sorry, Tim, but she scares me sometimes.) So, today I hauled the little one out again for some more pictures.

The mini-figs live in the "cockpit" of the toy, that area of the ship that would normally be the bridge, etc. Obviously the figures are NOT to scale, and thus neither is the "cockpit." But, both figures have seats and fit in nicely, although the slightest jiggle or shake to the ship and they're tossed from their seats. The bridge is hinged so that it opens for play.

Here you see the "cockpit" (or bridge) fully opened, with the Rebel Soldier and Princess Leia revealed inside. Someone really ought to tell these two that they shouldn't be armed and ready to fire at all times. I mean, like I said--one good jiggle and they're tossed around. Live blasters have gotta be dangerous under such situations!

Hey, look! The ship has a stick shift! I love details like this; it's silly to add something like a stick shift, in part because neither figure can rest a hand on it. (Y'know, like the G.I. Joe toys--at least they could actually appear to drive their vehicles!) Now, I don't expect that level of articulation on a miniature so small, but really...a stick shift? I guess they've got to have SOME kind of detail in the "cockpit."


[Aside: Rumor has it that the creators of the model used in the original film actually placed a miniature pin-up girl poster in the cockpit as a joke. It wasn't visible in the final film, and I have no idea about the veracity of the rumor. If true, though, it would have been a nice touch in this model. An homage, even, to the original modelers. Although it may have detracted from the child-friendliness of the toy. End aside.]

I like Leia's two-handed firing stance, although my brain wants to take issue with the actual blaster she's wielding. That looks a lot more like Han Solo's BlasTech blaster than the sporting blaster she used in Star Wars (which would have been consistent with her white gown and Cinnabon hair-do). The Rebel Soldier has a one-handed stance that, unfortunately, reveals that his arms are joined with a solid axle. In other words, he's shaking his fist (maybe) at the same time that he fires his weapon. If it was molded/positioned differently, I guess you could have said he's waving or even ordering his target to stop. Yeah. Or he's trying to use the Force to deflect an oncoming laser bolt from the stormtroopers (a la Darth Vader). But no. They had to mold it to appear like he's shifting gears when sitting in the pilot's seat. Except that he's grabbing his thigh when seated. (See above picture.) Sigh. Again, I suppose I can't complain about the quality of the mini-figs or the lack of articulation. Gratefully these two are going to be sealed away in the "cockpit" and the ship is going to be used as a consular shuttle. Period. Or displayed in my office. Hmmm. There's a thought.


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Previous "T"s:
2013: T is for Tombstone Blossom (monster)
2012: T is for Thord’s Gore Reach (spell)
2011: T is for Thoklin Oroxel (npc)

[A to Z April] Q is for Quick, Somebody Teach Me To Play!

OK. Comic Con must have really thrown a wrench into my system. I'm still in physical pain from the "crowd-waddling" on a concrete floor for 9 hours. I'm clearly no longer as young as I used to think I was. I'm physically exhausted, sleeping through the night for the first time in years these past two nights. And I'm apparently mentally exhausted; I'm pulling and pulling on the rope, but the bucket's coming up dry from the bottom of the well.

I seem to be addicted to FFG's X-Wing Miniatures Game too. And I haven't learned how to play it yet. I just have to find the time to sit down and crack open the box, I'm sure, because everybody tells me it's easy enough to learn.

Time? Hah.

But to continue, I need to learn how to play soon, because the purchase I talked about yesterday arrived in the mail today. I've already unboxed one. Took some pictures, too, as you can see.

The Millennium Falcon is, needless to say, one of the two iconic ships from the Star Wars trilogy. I'm pretty confident when I say that nearly every man my age at one time or another dreamed of flying in this starship. The X-Wing and the Falcon were my early starship loves, followed later by the A-Wing. Of course, there was also the Viper from the original Battlestar Galactica and the Earth Directorate Starfighter (piloted by Buck Rogers). Those were my top four when I was young (again, adding in the A-Wing later on).

"Why'd you get two of them?" I hear you ask. "After all, there's only one Millennium Falcon, right? Awww...silly reader. Of course you realize that the Corellian Engineering Corporation manufactured the original Falcon, under the designation YT-1300. The light freighter that was to become known as the Millennium Falcon started life no differently than any other YT-1300. Fortunately, the model comes with multiple pilots, not least of whom are Han Solo and Chewbacca. That allows a player to envision and enact a scenario where the Rebellion (or perhaps a pirate organization) has obtained an additional YT-1300. I've seen a couple players report that a dual YT-1300 force is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

Here she is, one final time, with the X-Wing flying alongside in formation for scale purposes. It's really a nice model, although I was a bit chagrined to realize it was hollow, and not an overly-thick feeling shell, either. But, I plan on being careful with these beauties. I can't wait to see what it looks like to have two YT-1300s on the starfield facing a squadron of TIE fighters. Even TIE Interceptors. I'll take 'em all.

So, please. Anyone. Anyone at all. Can someone quickly teach me how to play?




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Previous "Q"s:
2013: Q is for Quickvale (locale)
2012: Q is for Quickdeath (monster)
2011:Q is for Quaint Folk

[A to Z April] P is for Plans and Passengers: the Story of a Consular Ship

Still heady (and head-achey) from Comic Con yesterday, I want to share with you what I found. I hinted at it in yesterday's post, but I now have pictures and can share the bounty!

What we have here is a "vintage" Tantive IV, a.k.a. "Rebel Blockade Runner, from the Star Wars Action Fleet, circa 1997. It lacked its box, but has all the other parts, including the mini-fig Rebel Trooper and Princess Leia.

Here it is, in all its nerdtastic glory: the Tantive IV! We see it here as it first appears (OK, wrong angle and with the addition of a giant space calculator...) in the original Star Wars movie.

It's also known as the Corellian Engineering Corporation's CR-90 Corvette. I always knew it as the "Blockade Runner" but now that I think about it, I'm not sure WHY. My best guess is because that's what Kenner called it on all their products. Hmm. Interesting question. But then, Kenner is responsible for some "alternative" names to products that are worse than this, I suppose.

Here it is from another "famous" angle, the camera shot as it is enveloped by the Star Destroyer Devastator high above Tatooine. Mostly, I just wanted to look at the detail on this little guy. The display stand is a bit awkwardly placed, and covers up the aft ventral laser battery. I will admit that I may have it on incorrectly, but this is the only placement that actually holds the ship up. From this view you can also see the forward ventral laser and the pull-out "landing gear."

And I should also confess at this point that, while carrying this around with me all day yesterday, I had two thought ringing constantly through my mind:
■ "If this is a consular ship, Where. Is. The. Ambassador?"
and
■ "Commander, tear this ship apart until you've found those plans and bring me the passengers. I want them alive!"
Hence (obviously) the name of today's post....

Here's a look at what it looks like next to one of the X-Wing miniatures from FFG's X-Wing Miniatures Game. Yeah. The scale is WAAAY off. But I purchased it intending to use it in this game, and knowing that the scale was off. I've seen others use the bigger version that Kenner produced in their Collector's line--it's a lot more massive. (I actually saw one of those for sale at a STEAL yesterday, but it was late in the day and I talked myself out of it. It was gone this morning when I was ready to buy it. :( Isn't that always the way?)

Those bigger ones are a lot closer in scale than this. However, I've also seen the MicroMachines Action Fleet versions of the capitol ships used as stand-ins for a senatorial shuttle, for example. When I lucked into this at a great price (more than half of what the same, unboxed versions are going for on e-Bay) I couldn't resist. I've also picked up a couple of the so-called "Republic Cruisers" from Episode I for the same purpose. I'd seen these used online by a couple different players, and thought I'd pick them up at another STEAL. (It helps the cost that I don't need them MIB, I suppose.)

Now, I acknowledge that FFG is releasing its own version of this craft. Mine is a bit smaller than the "announced"/estimated size of the official FFG version. I'll probably still use this as a stand-in or as a replacement for another craft and eventually pick up FFG's version (if for nothing else than the extras in the box--templates, mission, etc.) if I can find it at a bargain. I'm still searching today for another Kenner version; I'm not having much luck at finding an affordable one, though. THAT one is much closer to scale and looks impressive with the smaller ships around it. (OK. I'm a geek. I just grabbed a ruler and a calculator. According to Wookieepedia an X-Wing is 12.5 meters long while the Tantive IV is 150 meters. The miniature X-Wing is 1.75" long; That means the Tantive IV model would have to be 21" long to be in scale. Mine is only 7" long. However, on a high note, Amazon lists the Kenner Collector's version at 16" long, which is much, much closer to the correct scale. I can see now why FFG includes this little blurb in its description of its version of the Tantive IV:

The Tantive IV and Rebel Transport will be the first X-Wing starships released outside of the game’s 1/270 scale. Simply too big to function in the game at that scale, they left us with two options. We could change their scale, or we could leave them out of the game. In the end, we decided these ships were simply too iconic and exciting to ignore, and we invented a new “relative” scale, carefully balancing each ship's playability against its presence on the table.

(Emphasis added.) The cost alone for such a "miniature" would make it altogether prohibitive for most but the hardcore gamers to accept.

Now...I just need to learn how to play the freakin' game....



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Previous "P"s:
2013: P is for Pond Stalker (creature)
2012: P is for Pyramid of Swords (locale)
2011: P is for Poushif Bonereader (npc)

[A to Z April] O is for Oh My Gosh, What Have I Done?

In lieu of a campaign-specific post today, and because I'm standing in the crush of great unwashed (in some cases literally) at the Salt Lake Comic Con Fan Experience, I'm just giving a quick heads up to y'all that I've gone and done it.

I've jumped from fantasy gaming for a moment and picked up a new game. A sci-fi game.

Fantasy Flight's X-Wing Miniatures Game.

How could I not? I mean, great minis and Star Wars? Not to mention the chance to make "pew pew" sounds across the table at another grown man without either of you laughing at the other? C'mon...it was meant to be!

I just waited a while until I gave in to the urges. I had read one too many battle reports online and it all just built up until I found a coupon for Barnes & Noble, swooped in, and grabbed it at a discount. That broke the dam.

I now have six more expansions, with two more on the way in the mail (more on these in just a moment), and already looking at storage options. I'm also making some third-party purchases with an eye to beefing up my game a bit.

Now, the two I have in the mail? I have to boast: I managed to find a seller on e-Bay selling the Millennium Falcon Expansion Pack for about 40% of MSRP. I bought two, and even got free shipping. The third-party purchase(s) I'll discuss in the coming days.

All for now. I have to go feed my hunger by wandering the exhibit halls of Comic Con.

Excelsior!



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Previous "O"s:
2013: O is for Omen Wine (beverage)
2012: O is for Oath of Righeous Magic (spell)
2011: O is for Opening Doors

[D&D 40th Anniversary Bloghop] Day Twenty-eight

Day Twenty-eight: What's the single most important lesson you've learned from playing D&D?

Otherwise known as "Wheaton's Law."

2013 Totals

2013 is now a cold corpse, receding in the distance as we journey onward on horseback. I was doing some book-keeping/house-cleaning in the Stronghold and noticed that my "2013 Totals" table (on the sidebar) had not been updated since mid-June 2013. I also noticed that my "Year-To-Date Acquisitions" page had suffered in limbo since July 18, 2013.

So...I have no idea how my totals compared to 2012. But, I think I can be excused, seeing as how I purchased a law firm and became a self-employed small-business owner around the time that I stopped keeping track of my gaming milestones.

I'm going to try and do better this year. I make no promises; of course, I have no idea if any of you care about my self-congratulatory totals and inventories. If you do, then accept my promise in good faith. If not, continue to ignore my tallies.

One thing I think I will have to do is refrain from including links to products on my "Acquisitions" page. That alone was sufficiently time-consuming (between link-searching and coding) that it made updating the page a chore. Shopping sprees of free items on DriveThru RPG and similar sites also made upkeep generally confusing and frustrating, especially when you add in the afore-mentioned link-searching and coding.

As far as the biggies--Miniatures and Dice--I have found a rough estimate, made as of about mid-November: 125 miniatures and 33 dice. There were probably a few more before the end of the year, but that looks pretty good. I also hereby declare 2014 to be the year of the dice, apparently, as I've already doubled my total dice purchases for last year...I'm at 70 right now, after a mail delivery today.

I know I said this last year, but I'm going to shoot for some increased blogging. 2013 was a year of stress and frustration, both on a personal and professional level, even more so than 2012. I've already endured health issues, family issues, and financial issues and it shows no signs of slowing down. As always, though, the hobby and the friendships made through the hobby helped make it survivable.

Everyone join me in a toast: raise your dice cups high and keep them d20s dry. Here's to 2014!

[D&D 40th Anniversary Bloghop] Day Thirteen

Day Thirteen: First miniature(s) you used for D&D.

My very first miniature is apparently lost to time. I have looked and looked and cannot find him anywhere. I believe that what happened is this: my first DM and I, as I mentioned yesterday, commonly pooled our spare change to buy minis. I vaguely remember when we went our separate ways we divvied up the minis. Somehow, it appears, I ended up with most of the monsters and none of the characters. I've gone searching on the internet and have found a picture of what I believe was my first purchased miniature, ever. If you read my post yesterday, you'll remember that I said the game store/toy store broke up boxed sets and sold the miniatures individually? Well, this one was a victim of that practice, coming from Grenadier Models' Advanced Dungeons & Dragons #2002-Halflings boxed set. This fellow was known simply as "Swordsman." I seem to remember that the color yellow figured prominently in his paint scheme, and I also think red was in there.

Boy, I wish I still had him.

I've managed to dig up most of my other 30+ year old miniatures, though. My kids, when they asked, "What's in the box, Dad?" and I answered, "Miniatures. 35-year-old metal miniatures..." -- Ooh-ed and Aah-ed. It was a great moment. Here's a few of the old ones.

This miniature was one of my favorites at the time. I'm pretty sure that's why I kept this one. I mean, it was a giant carrying a morningstar, right? How could you go wrong with that? A quick internet search tells me that his actual name is "Hecatron"--Ral Partha 01-067 (Personalities and Things That Go Bump in the Night). Ral Partha included a brief bio on Hecatron in their catalog: "An outcast among giants as a scrawny youth, Hecatron has become feared by giants and humankind alike -- he is one of the few giants alive with the wit and speed to master the arts of war. Encountered in a nonviolent situation, Hecatron is quiet, gruff, and polite. In combat, however, he is a metal-sheathed tornado, never checking morale and avoiding incoming attacks with surprising grace and speed. Hecatron will not change loyalties in a fight for which he has already been been paid, even though he may sympathize with his foes. (His money goes immediately for food and drink.)"

"Cyclops"--Grenadier 8003e (Action Art Series: Mythological Creatures). This was another favorite. I loved the detail and concept of the cyclops carrying a bag of skulls that he used for missile weapons. I've always thought of cyclopes as rock-throwing creatures. I remember thinking what a cool idea it was that this cyclops used the heads of his victims as weapons against future prey.

This one is "Djinn 1"--Ral Partha 01-069a (Personalities and Things That Go Bump in the Night). This one really intrigued me, mostly because of the size of the sword. It was bigger than many of the player character minis. I also liked the massive teeth poking out from his bottom jaw. I remember that he and Hecatron were the two heavy-hitters on my time. I'm pretty sure that the DM had another Djinn with a large sword, but a different sculpt.

That's it for now; I have to save some for a later post, after all.




**Many thanks to the Lost Minis Wiki for the information on the miniatures.**